What is the difference between global warming and climate change?
Although people tend to use these terms interchangeably, global warming is just one aspect of climate change. “Global warming” refers to the rise in global temperatures due mainly to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. “Climate change” refers to the increasing changes in the measures of climate over a long period of time – including precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns.
Related Content
Does the USGS monitor global warming?
What is the difference between global warming and climate change?
What are the long-term effects of climate change?
How can climate change affect natural disasters?
Why is climate change happening and what are the causes?
What is the difference between global warming and climate change?
What are some of the signs of climate change?
How do changes in climate and land use relate to one another?
How do we know the climate is changing?
Will global warming produce more frequent and more intense wildfires?
How does carbon get into the atmosphere?
How much carbon dioxide does the United States and the World emit each year from energy sources?
USGS integrated drought science
Project Need and OverviewDrought poses a serious threat to the resilience of human communities and ecosystems in the United States (Easterling and others, 2000). Over the past several years, many regions have experienced extreme drought conditions, fueled by prolonged periods of reduced precipitation and exceptionally warm temperatures. Extreme...
Ostroff, Andrea C.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Lambert, Patrick M.; Booth, Nathaniel L.; Carter, Shawn L.; Stoker, Jason M.; Focazio, Michael J.
Ecosystem vulnerability to climate change in the southeastern United States
Two recent investigations of climate-change vulnerability for 19 terrestrial, aquatic, riparian, and coastal ecosystems of the southeastern United States have identified a number of important considerations, including potential for changes in hydrology, disturbance regimes, and interspecies interactions. Complementary approaches using geospatial...
Cartwright, Jennifer M.; Costanza, Jennifer
USGS Arctic Science Strategy
The United States is one of eight Arctic nations responsible for the stewardship of a polar region undergoing dramatic environmental, social, and economic changes. Although warming and cooling cycles have occurred over millennia in the Arctic region, the current warming trend is unlike anything recorded previously and is affecting the region...
Shasby, Mark; Smith, Durelle
Landsat surface reflectance data
Landsat satellite data have been produced, archived, and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey since 1972. Users rely on these data for historical study of land surface change and require consistent radiometric data processed to the highest science standards. In support of the guidelines established through the Global Climate Observing System...
Changing Arctic ecosystems: sea ice decline, permafrost thaw, and benefits for geese
Through the Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) strives to inform resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information on current and future ecosystem response to a warming climate. A key area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska....
Flint, Paul L.; Whalen, Mary E.; Pearce, John M.
Remote sensing of land surface phenology
Remote sensing of land-surface phenology is an important method for studying the patterns of plant and animal growth cycles. Phenological events are sensitive to climate variation; therefore phenology data provide important baseline information documenting trends in ecology and detecting the impacts of climate change on multiple scales. The USGS...
Meier, G.A.; Brown, Jesslyn F.
Delivering climate science about the Nation's fish, wildlife, and ecosystems: the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center
Changes to the Earth’s climate—temperature, precipitation, and other climate variables—pose significant challenges to our Nation’s natural resources. Managers of land, water, and living resources require an understanding of the impacts of climate change—which exacerbate ongoing stresses such as habitat alteration and invasive species—in order to...
Varela-Acevedo, Elda
The U.S. Geological Survey Climate Geo Data Portal: an integrated broker for climate and geospatial data
The increasing availability of downscaled climate projections and other data products that summarize or predict climate conditions, is making climate data use more common in research and management. Scientists and decisionmakers often need to construct ensembles and compare climate hindcasts and future projections for particular spatial areas....
Blodgett, David L.
Changing Arctic ecosystems - measuring and forecasting the response of Alaska's terrestrial ecosystem to a warming climate
The Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska is a complex landscape of lakes, streams, and wetlands scattered across low relief tundra that is underlain by permafrost. This region of the Arctic has experienced a warming trend over the past three decades, leading to thawing of on-shore permafrost and the disappearance of sea ice at an unprecedented...
Pearce, John M.; DeGange, Anthony R.; Flint, Paul L.; Fondell, Tom F.; Gustine, David D.; Holland-Bartels, Leslie E.; Hope, Andrew G.; Hupp, Jerry W.; Koch, Joshua C.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Ward, David H.; Whalen, Mary E.
Polar bear and walrus response to the rapid decline in Arctic sea ice
The Arctic is warming faster than other regions of the world due to positive climate feedbacks associated with loss of snow and ice. One highly visible consequence has been a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 3 decades - a decline projected to continue and result in ice-free summers likely as soon as 2030. The polar bear (Ursus...
Oakley, Karen L.; Whalen, Mary E.; Douglas, David C.; Udevitz, Mark S.; Atwood, Todd C.; Jay, C.
The concept of geologic carbon sequestration
Duncan, Douglas W.; Morrissey, Eric A.
Assessing carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the United States under present conditions and future scenarios
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requires the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to develop a methodology and conduct an assessment of carbon storage, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse-gas (GHG) fluxes in the Nation's ecosystems. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed and published the methodology (U.S....
Zhu, Zhi-Liang; Stackpoole, Sarah
Future Temperature and Soil Moisture May Alter Location of Agricultural Regions
Future high temperature extremes and soil moisture conditions may cause some regions to become more suitable for rainfed, or non-irrigated, agriculture, while causing other areas to lose suitable farmland, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.
Changes in Rainfall, Temperature Expected to Transform Coastal Wetlands This Century
Changes in rainfall and temperature are predicted to transform wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world within the century, a new study from the USGS and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley concludes.
Walrus Sea-Ice Habitats Melting Away
Habitat for the Pacific walrus in the Chukchi Sea is disappearing from beneath them as the warming climate melts away Arctic sea ice in the spring, forcing the large mammals to “haul out” of the ocean and temporarily live on land.
Old Growth May Help Protect Northwest Birds from Warming Temperatures
Researchers are working to understand how to lessen the impacts of climate change on birds and other forest inhabitants.
Ancient Permafrost Quickly Transforms to Carbon Dioxide upon Thaw
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and key academic partners have quantified how rapidly ancient permafrost decomposes upon thawing and how much carbon dioxide is produced in the process.
Scientists Predict Gradual, Prolonged Permafrost Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A new scientific synthesis suggests a gradual, prolonged release of greenhouse gases from permafrost soils in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, which may afford society more time to adapt to environmental changes, say scientists in a paper published in Nature today.
Rare Insect Found Only in Glacier National Park Imperiled by Melting Glaciers
The persistence of an already rare aquatic insect, the western glacier stonefly, is being imperiled by the loss of glaciers and increased stream temperatures due to climate warming in mountain ecosystems, according to a new study released in Freshwater Science.
New Heights of Global Topographic Data Will Aid Climate Change Research
The U.S. Geological Survey announced today that improved global topographic (elevation) data are now publicly available for North and South America, Pacific Islands, and northern Europe. Similar data for most of Africa were previously released by USGS in September.
Not-So-Permanent Permafrost
MENLO PARK, Calif. — As much as 44 billion tons of nitrogen and 850 billion tons of carbon stored in arctic permafrost, or frozen ground, could be released into the environment as the region begins to thaw over the next century as a result of a warmer planet according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Earlier Snowmelt in Colorado Linked to Warmer Air Temperatures and Decreasing Snowfall
Snow in the Colorado mountains is melting significantly earlier in the year, and the changes appear to be related to recent climate trends.
Glaciation, Permafrost and Climate: New Report Describes Diverse Alaskan Terrain
From glaciers and lava flats to white spruce woodlands and bog communities, a new U.S. Geological Survey report will aid scientists, managers and planners in organizing environmental data.
Two Swimming Polar Bears
Data collected from long distance swims by Polar bears suggest that they do not stop to rest during their journey.
Polar Bear Research, B-Roll 1
Spring 2014. USGS scientists conduct a health evaluation of a young male polar bear in the Arctic as part of the annual southern Beaufort Sea population survey. The bear is sedated for approximately an hour while the team records a variety of measurements and collects key biological samples. The annual population survey has been conducted since the mid-1980's and helps
PubTalk 11/2012 — Understanding Climate-Wildlife Relationships
-- are American pikas harbingers of changing conditions?
by USGS Research Ecologist Erik Beever
- American pikas are denizens of rocky talus and lava-flow habitats in mountain ecosystems across western North America
- Mountain environments, cauldrons of climatic harshness, exhibit sharp topographic, vegetative, and
Collapse-scar bogs formed following permafrost thaw
When permafrost thaws, the ground surface subsides and becomes inundated and the black spruce forest growing on the permafrost can no longer survive. Trees teetering and falling over in thawing permafrost are often referred to as "drunken trees." The black spruce forest is replaced by a saturated bog, dominated by sedges and mosses. This wholesale ecological transformation
...Tracking Pacific Walrus: Expedition to the Shrinking Chukchi Sea Ice
Summer ice retreat in the Chukchi Sea between Alaska and Russia is a significant climate change impact affecting Pacific Walruses, which are being considered for listing as a threatened species. This twelve minute video follows walruses in their summer sea ice habitat and shows how USGS biologists use satellite radio tags to track their movements and behavior. The
PubTalk 3/2010 — Changing Times-- A Changing Planet!
Using phenology to take the pulse of our planet
By Jake F. Weltzin, Executive Director, USA National Phenology Network
- Citizens, scientists and natural resources managers are teaming-up to track biological events and cycles responding to changing climate
- Phenology is providing new insights into seasonal changes in
USGS Public Lecture Series: Climate Change 101
Climate change is an issue of increasing public concern because of its potential effects on land, water, and biological resources. In the next several years, the United States will be challenged to make management and policy decisions as well as develop adaptation and mitigation strategies that will require anticipating the effects of a changing climate and its impacts on
The Cold Facts About Melting Glaciers
Most glaciers in Washington and Alaska are dramatically shrinking in response to a warming climate.
USGS scientist Edward Josberger discusses research from the past 50 years to measure changes in the mass (length and thickness) of three glaciers in Alaska and Washington. These are the longest such records in North America and among the longest in the world.
Permafrost Erosion Measurement
USGS researcher Benjamin Jones measures erosion near a collapsed block of ice-rich permafrost along Alaska's Arctic coast.
A satellite tagged Pacific walrus on a piece of sea ice
A satellite tagged Pacific walrus on a piece of sea ice
Erosion and climate change along Alaska's Arctic Coast
Erosion and climate change along Alaska's Arctic Coast
